Nightshades & Pomegranates
by GinHermi
Summary: Very AU. Tate had lost her once long ago. Now he had a second chance to seduce her and make her his. He would stop at nothing to get what he wants. Nobody and nothing would get in his way.
1. An Imaginarium

**A/N:** _This is another one of my crazy ideas. And I do mean crazy. So bear with me here because it's going to get really twisted. If you're brushed up on your Greek mythology then you'll have some fun. Here's a character guide so far. It can get confusing. _**_  
_**

__Character list:

Tate: Hades

Violet: was Persephone in a past life

Chad: Hermes

Charles: Zeus

Nora: Demeter

Kevin: The Boatman

Hayden: Melinoë

* * *

"_Please allow me to introduce myself_

_I'm a man of wealth and taste_

_I've been around for long, long years"_

Sympathy for the Devil

* * *

Chapter One: An Imaginarium

Tate Langdon was an immortal man of wealth and taste. He drove his old Aston Martin into the driveway of his new home. It was home number 'I've lost track of how many houses I've lived in'. It was a large and beautiful mansion in Los Angeles. It had been built back in the twenties. A decade he recalled with absolute fondness.

The house came with a reputation and he was more than relaxed at the thought. The Murder House would not inconvenience him in the least bit. He was not fazed by the tens of murders that had occurred inside the house or by the rumors that ghosts haunted the halls. He was just interested in having a beautiful home in California.

When he saw that this house was for sale on a website, he jumped at the chance to live in it. In a matter of weeks he had a new identity and all of his belongings shipped to California. That includes the amazing car he was driving. He had loved the car since he got it in the sixties and there was no way that he would ever get rid of it.

Violet Harmon observed the new neighbor as he got out of his car. She noticed his beautiful face and angelic blond locks. He was a good-looking man in the prime of his life. The man, however, didn't catch her attention as much as his car did. I mean it wasn't every day that your new next-door neighbor owned James Bond's car. She scoffed at the thought that he was likely another one of the materialistic, designer-loving assholes that lived in this town. I mean, his clothes made him seem like a blonde James Bond next to the car. He just oozed the look of a pretentious asshole. He would eventually prove her wrong, though.

* * *

As Tate entered the house, he was pleased to find that his assistants had taken care of everything he had wanted. All his things had been placed where he wanted them. They saluted him in unison:

"Hades!"

Tate sighed. "I fucking hate that name. Would you _please_ call me Tate?" He begged.

"Yes, Tate."-They said.

"And please stop speaking at the same time. You are four different people."

They said nothing. Then Tate knew he had one last thing to check upon.

"Did Kevin get everything settled in the basement?"

"He did."-Said Chloe in a flirtatious way while she batted her eyelashes.

For some insane reason, Chloe had a huge crush on Tate. She was the most servile of his assistants and it annoyed him greatly. He had tried, on more than one occasion, to make her understand that he would never be interested. Chloe was usually smart but, in this case, the girl couldn't take a hint.

Tate rolled his eyes at her tone and whispered something at Amir.

He responded immediately. "In the bedroom next to yours."

"Thank you."

Tate went to the bedroom Amir had indicated and smiled when he saw the bust of his deceased wife, Persephone. Their love story was much different from what the classic myth relayed. The bust was proof of that. When Persephone had died, all he had to capture her image was a piece of marble and chiseling tools. He had kept her body in stasis long enough to capture her face before her body would decay and her soul would pass on.

He missed Persephone dearly, but he had at least made sure that she had gone on to a happier place. It comforted him. His loneliness, however, often made him miss her more than he should. When he became distraught, it took him days to recover.

* * *

The doorbell pulled him out of his reverie. Stephanie was the one that usually answered the door, but he didn't want people to know that he has four assistants and a boatman taking the with this identity. He chose to open the door himself by brushing Stephanie off and telling her to disappear. When he opened it, the most beautiful girl in the world was looking at him with a bored expression on her face. She stood next to an exhausted looking redheaded woman.

"Hello. My name is Vivien Harmon and this is my daughter, Violet. We're your next-door neighbors. We brought you some sugar cookies as a welcome."

Tate would _not_ miss the opportunity to win over the beauty in front of him. Therefore, despite his foul mood and desire to see Vivien jump off a bridge, he put on his best smile and said.

"I'm Tate Langdon. Nice to meet you."

Vivien cleared her throat and Violet, who had momentarily been looking elsewhere, paid attention again and gave Tate the plate of cookies. Their fingers brushed and Violet felt a current pass through her. Tate smiled when she reacted to what he had done.

"Thank you for the cookies. I barely have time to cook, let alone bake."

"Oh, that's right. Your Realtor, Marcy, let slip that you're a lawyer?"

"That's right. Defense attorney. Working long hours is part of the job description."-He said keeping up his charming smile. "Would you ladies like to come in? I might not have time to cook, but I did just finish making some lemonade."

"Oh, no thanks. We'd love to but there's an appointment we have to dash off to. Rain check?"-Vivien said with a smile that she likely considered flirtatious but he could honestly care less.

"Sure. Goodbye Mrs. Harmon…Violet."

Violet felt a blush creep up her face when he said her name. Vivien hadn't caught his tone but Violet did. Tate had said her name in awe, adoration and just a hint of lust.

"Bye, Tate."-She returned seductively. Her mother slapped her arm but Violet just looked at her defiantly and walked away.

When the Harmon women left his doorstep, Tate walked inside his house and started hatching a plan. Violet would be his whether she liked it or not. See, Violet bore a striking resemblance to Persephone. There were but two physical differences between the women (three if you counted age): their hair and their eye color. Persephone was a green-eyed beauty with wavy hair. Violet, in contrast, had pin straight hair and soulful brown eyes.

Tate didn't know what he had done to deserve a second chance from the fates but he was going to seize it. He went to his bedroom and lay on his bed. His move to L.A. and his encounter with Violet had exhausted him. The exhaustion overtook him and he fell asleep.

* * *

Of course, the bitch now known as Hayden wouldn't let him sleep peacefully. As Tate lay down to rest, she hit him with a dose of nightmares, which in his case were really just memories.

He dreamt of what had happened to his Persephone. You see Persephone wasn't a goddess…that was just some bullshit someone made up. Persephone was only half goddess; Zeus had never gotten it on with Demeter. The whole: "he kidnapped Persephone" deal was also a complete crock. Sure he had seduced her, but Seph had been more than willing to go to the Underworld with him when they had left her mother's fields together. Importantly, _because_ she was only half a goddess, she was susceptible to death.

_Tate looked up as Hermes landed in front of him. Hermes looked grave and that was saying something for the ever-cheery god._

"_What, Hermes?"-Tate said_

"_Persephone has died."_

"_That's not very funny."_

"_It's not a joke. She's dead."_

"_No. That can't be. I would have seen her on my list."_

"_Zeus had her name omitted until I told you."_

* * *

Tate cried aloud in pain as he woke up from the nightmare. He hated reliving the moment he found out his wife was dead. Then he saw Hayden's impish face looking down on him.

"Hi there."-She said.

"Get out of my house."

"Aw, what's wrong? Didn't like the dreams I sent you?"

"No! I thought you would at least have some respect for the memories I have of your mother."

"Oh please. Just because she's the hole I crawled out of doesn't mean she was my mother."

Tate got up and slapped Hayden across the face. "Get out, Hayden before I make you."

"Ooh, I'm so scared!"-She said in a defiant tone.

"Fine. Your wish is my command."

The floorboards started shaking as they both heard stomps heading up the stairs. Inexplicably without damage to the house, Cerberus appeared before them and Tate merely looked from the dog to Hayden and calmly told him to attack.

"You dick!"-Hayden yelled.

Just as she disappeared, Cerberus jumped and managed to scratch the evil bitch.

* * *

When the dog sensed that there was no threat, he masqueraded himself as a Rottweiler. Tate rubbed his fur: "Good boy." The dog then curled himself up in front of the bed and slept there, guarding his master.

Tate got back in the bed and plotted how he would get Violet. First, he had to do a little recon and then he would attack. He would seduce her into submission. Then again, maybe this time around he actually would kidnap her. He was desperate after all…and after she had died the first time, Tate had become cruel and vicious. Chances are that she would melt his icy exterior again but in the meantime, Tate would make sure that Violet Harmon would be his. He would make sure that she would never leave his sight again.


	2. The Bell

**A/N:** _Very glad to have people so excited about my kooky mix! And it's taken me ages I know, but I wanted to get things right. And I started Uni. Anyway, I've gotten addicted to pomegranate gum because of this story. _

_Note: Remember Tate is a combination of himself and Hades._

_Note: There's a musical selection for most chapters. The first chapter's was: The Aquarium from The Carnival of Animals by Saint-Saens. This chapter's selection is: 3rd Movement of Paganini's 2nd Violin Concerto, "La Campanella"._

* * *

Chapter Two: The Bell 

Tate hated his human job. It took up entirely too much of his time. Then again, he loved getting people cleared of charges...especially when they didn't deserve it. There was a devilish satisfaction in that. Needless to say, today he hated it because he could have used his time to watch Violet's every move. He had sent Stephanie to watch over the girl and she would likely do a credible job but he preferred to do it himself.

The most he could do was to make sure that Violet was watching him when he left in the morning. He wanted to leave her with a little something. Much to his delight, she stared him down as he got into his car and left the street. He felt her eyes boring into the back of his head and he loved the sensation. As far as he could tell, the subtle words he had said and the charm he had just sent her way, entranced her. He smiled devilishly. She was much like the Persephone he remembered...weak to his charms. Seph was, prior to Violet, the only woman that ever fell for it. It was a rush of power that he enjoyed.

Surprisingly, Violet watched when he arrived that dusk as well. He caught her looking at him and, though he expected her to blush, she didn't. She held her gaze firmly and defiantly. He smiled at her and she gave him a half smile. He liked that she was not as fiendishly girly as Seph had been. Not that it was a bad thing to be girly, but Seph used to blush at every single gaze he gave her and giggle whenever he said her name. It was endearing to be sure, but he liked that Violet had moxie. She would easily hold her own with him; she would be his perfect queen.

* * *

He yelled for Stephanie when he shut the front door. The blonde girl appeared next to him in an instant.

"Tell me everything about her, Stephanie."

"Well, be warned. Aside from having the same face, Violet is almost completely different from your first wife."

"And I love that about her already. Give me the details."

"She's just turned sixteen. That might be an issue. You know that in this world you can't be with her legally until she's eighteen..."

"Please, I'm the god of the Underworld. I'll do whatever I want. Just because I work with human law doesn't mean it applies to me."

"Well fine then. Jeez, what jumped up your ass?"

"Do not give me that tone or I'll send you to Tartarus for a week! Just tell me the rest already."

"Ok. Well she hates her parents. Her dad is almost never around and her mom basically wears herself out from work and being lonely. She doesn't like school but only because she hates the kind of students that populate it. She has no friends and she likes it that way. She's quite bright, this girl of yours. Apparently, she has a high IQ. Loves to read...tragic books mostly. She has one or two smut books hidden in her closet, though. It's hilarious, actually. And she doesn't stick to the whole bodice ripping crap either. The kind of smut that she has involves the supernatural. It's like this chick can't get off without imagining that something freaky is fucking her."

Tate gave her a look. "What? It's the truth. That's just a bonus for you."

"Is she…is she a virgin?"-He asked.

Stephanie rolled her eyes at her employer. "I knew you were going to ask that. She's never had a boyfriend and she doesn't whore around, so yes, she's a virgin. Can I get to something else now?"

"By all means."

"She mostly likes to listen to music that's older than she is. Anything Morrissey, the Beatles, the Stones, the Kinks, the Ramones, Sex Pistols, etc. It's like she was born in an earlier decade. Oh, she broke into the house today. I thought this house was creepy enough to keep people away, but she's always liked the it here."

"Everyone hid?"

"Of course. Though Chloe practically wanted to rip her hair out when Violet went into your room."

Tate smiled brightly. "Go on."

"She looked around, went through your stuff and she likes it. Then she stole one of your t-shirts. Took it home with her and started smelling it."

Tate hung onto his assistant's every word.

"She masturbated thinking of you."

"Don't lie to me Stephanie."

"I'm not! She had your shirt gripped in one hand and the other down her underwear. She said your name when she came. You've left quite the impression on her. I just think she must be deeply, deeply disturbed."

"Is that all?"

"No. Strangely enough she hates that you seem pretentious. She doesn't have a crush on you or anything, she just really wants to fuck you. I'm certain you want more than that with her so if you are going to attack, I suggest you tease her so much she goes insane."

"Duly noted."- As if Tate wasn't aware that Violet lusted for him. He was the one that cursed her: he didn't change her feelings he merely…magnified them. A lot. Like Persephone before her, Violet's lust would be the key to making her his queen.

"Oh and get this. She loves pomegranates. She has pomegranate juice in the morning and pomegranate tea before bed. After her little...sexual moment, she took some pomegranate tea and napped until I made her wake up. I figured you'd want her to stare at you when you got home. She heard your car come into the driveway and rushed to the window like a kid in a candy store. She doesn't like you, she wants to fuck you and she's intrigued by you."

"That's fine. I can make her fall for me and then bind her here."

"You're gonna kill her?"

"Of course not. I don't want her to be stuck in this house like that. I'm just going to create a temporary barrier. After I she's mine, of course. Come Saturday, I'll have my Violet."

Stephanie shook her head and took her leave.

* * *

As she did, Chloe popped into the room with an upset face.

"What does she have that I don't? That mousy little girl. You just like that she looks like your pathetic dead wife?"

Tate would murder Chloe if he could, but he wanted to be kind if only to thank her for the years of service that she had given him. He was gentler in his method of dismissal even though rage coursed throughout his body.

"Chloe, you are going to Tartarus and you are never coming back here. You are no longer to assist me."

"What?! No!"

"I've told you more than once that I am never going to be interested in you and that I am never going to pursue something with you, but you refuse to accept it. Now, you've insulted my wife and essentially berated my current love interest. Get this through your THICK SKULL, Chloe! I don't want you, I will never want you and I WILL have Violet, one way or another. Now get the fuck out of my house!"

With those words, Chloe's heart broke even more and she disappeared. Tate was happy to be rid of her. She was just lucky that he hadn't hurt her like he truly wanted. She should have known better than to insult Persephone in front of him.

* * *

He checked the time and took a deep breath. He was off to his second job now: the one he had been doing for millenia. The basement was a replica of the workspace he once had in his original kingdom. Kyle had the scroll with the names of the dead on them. Amir had brought him dinner. He had two days of souls to organize and he had to get it done quickly. There was a little something that he wanted to do regarding Violet and he had to do it before dawn. So he and his assistants sorted all the souls to where they belonged.

It was nearly six am when they finished. Tate knew that he still had time to get into Violet's head. He showered, changed and made sure to look incredibly handsome. Though his plan didn't involve that Violet actually look at him, he wanted to look his best in case she woke up. He almost skipped as he left the house and a smirk threatened to appear on his face as he thought of what he was going to do. As he circled the house, he thought he would need to open her window, but it was wide open. Maybe, just maybe, she was subconsciously waiting for him.

He climbed in without making a sound and, though it was dark inside the room, he saw her perfectly. She looked so fragile and peaceful while she slept. No frowns or smirks marked her beautiful face. Instead, her cheeks were slightly flushed, her eyelashes were positively doll like and her lips appeared extraordinarily pink, fleshy and ripe for a bruising from his kiss.

If he hadn't already when he saw her for the first time, this would have been the moment that he fell in love with her. His heart _did _tug in his chest from seeing her in this state, which was enough to know that he belonged to her. He walked over to her bed and climbed over the railing to the right side of it. He sat at the bottom of the bed and grabbed her hand. It was one thing to make her lust after him, but she would never fall in love with him that way. It was only right that she see what had happened between them in the past. He closed his eyes as he sent her the memories and relived them in his head.

* * *

_Tate and Violet sat close to one another in the middle of a lush clearing. They were holding hands and smiling brightly at one another._

_"The more I've gotten to know you, the more I think everything they say about you is pure construction. The demented fictions of a vulgar god."-She said amidst smiles and giggles._

_"And how can you be so certain? I'm always sweet to you. You've given me no reason to be unpleasant."_

_"Perhaps that's true. But I'm more than happy to be in love with a man who is capable of being cruel to everyone but me." With that she blushed._

_He acted impulsively and kissed her. "I love you too."_

_She looked away from him as she felt her face burn red with embarrassment. Tate gently lifted her chin so their eyes met._

_"Are you ashamed of loving me?"-He said with a crack in his heart._

_"No. It is not that I am ashamed. I don't want to seem rash and unthinking to you."_

_"You could never. Remember, I've fallen in love with you too. Just as quickly, I might add."_

_For a while she said nothing. She thought about how deep her feelings for this god were. He did not have a lot of time left on his hands and would soon have to part the clearing and head for his kingdom. The thought of his departure made her physically ill and she had to do something. To prove that she was his and that she would be there for him whenever he needed her._

_"Take me with you."-She said wrapping her arms around him._

_"You want me to take you the Underworld?"_

_"Yes. I don't want to be without you."_

_"Do you have any idea of the implications of what you ask?"_

_"You mean, my mother's reaction?"_

_"Yes. That's it exactly."_

_"My mother ignores me for the most part. I've gotten older and I stopped being an adorable perfect child. I doubt she'd care if I was gone."_

_"I beg to differ, love. I think she would care very much."_

_"Well, I don't. Am I supposed to break my own heart to keep her content?"_

_He sighed. Demeter would be furious, but he couldn't deny Violet anything._

_"I'll take you with me on one condition."_

_"Anything."_

_"Marry me."_

_"I thought we had already established that I would."-She said with a playful twinkle in her eye._

_He laughed. "Alright then. Come on."_

_He got up, grabbed her hands and pulled her up. He gave her a sweet, slow kiss, which she happily returned and then he smiled and said:_

_"Run."_

_They laughed as they ran out of Demeter's forest hand in hand._

* * *

Tate pulled out of the memory and looked at Violet. Her mouth was now curved into a smile but her eyes remained closed. It was time to take his leave. Though he desperately wanted to kiss her, he refrained from doing so. It was one thing to watch her rest, but it was quite another to kiss her while she was asleep. He let her hand go and got up from the bed. The instant he did, Violet whimpered:

"Tate."

He smirked as he left the room. She was falling for him. No doubt about it now. He planned to have an actual conversation with the girl sometime soon, though. He wanted her to know everything about him. Not just fall in love with what she thought him to be.

The next morning he left her a note in the mailbox. He had made it so that she was the only one who could see it. It was definitely past due that they talked.

* * *

Violet Harmon woke up after having the weirdest but most realistic dream she had ever had in her life. It had felt like she had actually had that conversation with Tate. She knew it was impossible though. For one, in the dream she had this weird ancient Greek dress on. It was pretty, but never the kind of clothes she would wear in public…much less in some weird forest clearing. Tate looked different too. His hair and eyes were still the same but he wore clothes that looked like they belonged to an ancient Greek warrior king. All black cloth and dark armor…she hated admitting that she loved the way he looked in her dream.

In fact, Violet loved how Tate looked in real life. There was just something about him that drew her in. Originally, she had intended to completely ignore him but there was something curious about him. The way he flirted with her, for one, interested her. Not many men would flirt with a young girl in front of said girl's mother and get away with it. That took a certain level of balls and charm that made her smile. He still had to prove to her that he wasn't a yuppie, however, and he was failing at that.

When she got home from school that afternoon, she got the mail and found a pretty piece of old parchment on top of all the other letters. The parchment looked like something straight out of a movie and there were a few sentences carefully inked down on it.

_Violet,_

_You are interesting. Care for a chat this evening? _

_-Tate_

There should have been alarm bells ringing in her head, or so she told herself. She wasn't entirely sure what Tate wanted with her considering that he was so much older than her. She thought about it and decided to meet him. It might be fun to see if he proved her expectations wrong. She'd also look him over properly. That way she'd have a better picture in her mind for the next time she got off to his image.

* * *

When Tate got home that night, he got himself ready for Violet. He was certain that she would come over. He hadn't done anything to her this time, but she was bound to be curious by the dream she had. Soon enough there was a knock on his backdoor. He made sure that they were alone before he answered it. He smiled when he saw her with a serious expression on her face and an inquisitive twinkle in her eye.

"Hi Violet."

"Hi."

"Come in."-He said leaving space for her to come in. When he closed the door, he turned to her and noticed that she was staring.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. You just look different when you're out of suits. Better, actually."

He chuckled. "I don't like suits much, but it's a part of the job."

"That's unfortunate. I think you should walk around in jeans and sweaters all the time."

"You and me both."

"So…you think I'm interesting?"

"Yes."

"I think you're interesting too…in a yuppie kind of way."

"I'm not a yuppie."

Violet gave him a look and walked over to the living room. "This place is well furnished, has pricey art, you have James Bond's car parked out front and you can't be older than thirty two. You're a yuppie."

"I'm thirty five actually. And I've inherited everything but the house."-It was a lie but how else was he going to explain owning all the antiques that were originals? He couldn't tell her that he had bought all the art and furniture when they were modern. It would drive her insane.

"So why does a thirty five year old want to talk to a sixteen year old student? Is it because you want to fuck me?"

"No. You're different than anyone I've ever met."

"You don't really know me."

"That's why I invited you here. To get to know you."

"Ok. Let's get to know each other."

"Do you want something to drink first?"

"Vodka."-She said with a smirk. Then she shook her head and said: "You wouldn't happen to have any pomegranate juice would you?"

"Pomegranate juice?" He pretended that he didn't know about her preference.

"Odd, I know. I used to hate it when I was little but then when I hit fifteen I just loved it. I basically live off the stuff. I mean I drink water and eat whatever, but I love pomegranates: fruit, juice or tea."

"See, you're different. And I actually do have pomegranate juice. With ice?"

"Without."

He brought her what she asked for and she took a sip.

"So, Violet, it's just you and your mom?"

"For now…my dad cheated on my mom. She caught him in the act. Literally."

"That's horrible. If you love someone you should never hurt them."

"I know right? And this was after my mom had a brutal miscarriage. We had a macabre funeral and everything. Have you ever seen a baby coffin?"

Tate got closer to her and grabbed her wrists. He then noticed angry scars on them. She tried to pull them away but he brought them to his mouth, so he could give them a kiss. Violet was shell-shocked. The brief touch that had gone on between them when she gave him cookies was one thing. The way she felt as Tate pressed his soft lips to her marred skin was something else entirely. He looked up at her and said:

"Your scars make you more beautiful."

She finally pulled her wrists away, afraid of her feelings.

"So do you like Morrissey? He's cool and he's pissy and he hates everyone and everything."

He laughed. "I know what that's like."

"Really? You don't have one swell life?"

"No. My father tried to kill me but my brother saved me and now my brother thinks he's better than me because he has more money, a wife and lots of kids."

"So what if he has that?"

"He's just…more powerful."

"Power isn't everything. Besides, I thought you weren't a yuppie. You don't need to conform to his standards."

"I don't, but…it's complicated. Mostly, though, I tell him to fuck off."

"Good."

"I do like Morrissey, by the way. And Kurt Cobain."

* * *

She smiled at him. She spent what seemed like hours talking to him. Tate was beyond thrilled. Stephanie was right in saying that Violet was barely like Persephone. Strangely, he found himself falling deeper in love with Violet. And it was faster than he had with Seph.

Violet noticed the time and gasped:

"I have to go. My mom's probably about to flip out."

Tate chuckled. "I had forgotten about this part."

"What part?"

He realized his mistake. He had sounded confusing to her but, in truth, it was a bit of a revelation. He recalled with oddly comical pleasure, all the times that he and Seph had to part when they were still courting and Demeter knew nothing about it. In Seph's case, she always had to leave in the early evening.

Violet's limit, apparently, was eleven pm.

Tate briefly wondered if, like Seph before her, she would give him a kiss as she left their first "date".

Violet walked over to him on her way out and gave him a kiss on the cheek. He was disappointed, but was rapidly cheered up by the words that followed her action.

"You proved me wrong, you know. There's definitely more to you than a pretty face and a car bound to automatically drop panties."

He gave her a jaw-dropping smile. "Do _your _panties drop at the sight of my car?"

"Maybe."-She said with a smirk. "If they didn't drop at that, though, that smile you just gave me would."

He became serious. That expression was all Violet and he absolutely loved it. He was blunt with her, in turn.

"You make me want to kiss you."

"No one is stopping you."-She said with a toothy grin.

"You haven't the vaguest conception of what you ask."

"I wasn't asking."

Her bold nature attracted him and made his insides burn like wildfire. He stepped toward her, encased her waist in one of his arms and gave her an outstanding kiss. He didn't dare enter her mouth with his tongue for fear of getting ahead of himself. No, he pressed his lips to her chastely, but the sensation of it made him burn twice as fast and twice as arduously.

For her part, Violet felt a spark she'd never felt before. She had kissed guys before in games of spin the bottle but, though it had always felt pleasant, it had never felt the way she felt at the moment she and Tate kissed. It was a fizzy, tingling sensation that incited long dormant butterflies to flutter in her chest.

She broke the kiss. "And you're sure you don't want to fuck me?"

He leaned in to whisper. "Not yet."

She shivered at that but backed away from him. "Well keep trying lover boy, you never know. You might just get lucky."

He rolled his eyes at her.

* * *

Tate walked with her until they were at her door.

"When do we talk again?"-She said.

"Tomorrow. It's Friday and I leave the office earlier."

"Ok."-Violet responded and pressed a quick kiss on his lips.

She turned to walk inside her house but stopped at the door frame, turned and with an inquisitive look on her face rushed towards Tate and kissed him again. This time, she briefly ran her tongue over his lower lip. As quick as she did, she retreated.

"What was that for?"-He said.

"I was tasting you."

"Why?"

"Something familiar about it."

"Did you figure it out?"

"I did."

"What was it?"

She smiled as she walked inside. As she was about to close the door, she said: "Pomegranates. Your lips taste of pomegranates."

He smiled brightly. She waved and closed the door.

Tate swaggered back to his home. He hadn't expected her to taste pomegranates on his lips. He hadn't even tasted the fruit and he hadn't had juice either. He was what she wanted. He was certain of it now. It was just like he had told Stephanie. By Saturday, Violet would be his. Irrevocably so.


	3. A Seductive Pas de Deux

**A/N:** _*dusts fic off* I'm so sorry, I know it's been absolute ages since I updated this fic. I do apologize. I can honestly say that I was turned off from this story for a bit but I never had plans to leave it unfinished...otherwise I wouldn't have written the full story outline. But, I'm more enthused than ever about it now. I'll update as much as I can, but it might be slower than usual because of time consumming University work. I swear I won't abandon it, though. ^_^_

_Oh and let the record state, that no matter what they've shown me in Asylum so far, Violate is still my OTP. I will likely ship them when I am dust._

_Your musical selection for this chapter: The Black Swan Pas de Deux from the third scene of Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake._

_Finally, the image that comes attached to this story is what is described in this chapter._

_Patrick: Dyonisus_

_Moira: Aphrodite_

_Luke: Cupid_

* * *

Chapter Three: A Seductive Pas de Deux

The day had passed for both Tate and Violet in a blur. Tate focused on the insipid shit he had to do, but in the back of his mind a plan had been formed. Violet sat in the back of all her classes and spent the day carefully sketching a detailed drawing of a set of armor that she seemed to know by heart, but consciously recognized, she hadn't seen before. It was a short eternity before they both found themselves in their respective homes.

Violet didn't bother to get changed. She just waited for Tate in her front porch while she read Frankenstein for about the fifth time. Not that she would let herself admit that she was waiting for him, however. No, if asked, she would say that she was reading her book outside to get a fresh breeze. Or something that sounded equally dismissive.

* * *

Tate had asked Patrick to come over to his house and check what he had set out. If there was one man who knew anything about seduction, it would be Patrick. Orgies weren't held in this guy's honor for nothing. Sure, he could've asked Aphrodite for help, but she had done enough already.

Patrick started adding things and subtracting them: candles were too much, but dangling lights were fine; wine was perfect; red roses were a cliché; a bracelet too much. More and more details were added and subtracted until the house received Pat's seal of approval.

"You always were the one of us who could keep himself caged."-Patrick said when he had finished decorating.

"What the fuck, Patrick?"

"You know what I mean. You were married to Persephone millions of years ago, she died and you haven't fucked anyone ever since. Now, you're going to seduce a chick who looks a lot like your dead wife. So, you have the biggest blue balls in the history of man _and _you're a creeper."

"Watch it, you disco queen! I might not be able to kill _you_, but I _can_ still kill the people at your next orgy."

"Oh yeah? And you'd just _love_ for Zeus to find out about what you're doing."

"Leave him out of this!"

"I will. Just don't kill my fuckers. And do me a favor…fuck this girl already. Not for me, but for the health of your balls. They'll thank you, in the end."

"Out, Patrick!"

Patrick just smiled and smacked Tate's butt as he walked off. Then he left two bottles of wine on the dining room table.

"Left you some of my special brew! I'm not telling you what I laced it with, but it's not bad!"

"That's debatable."

"Well…it's not bad for either of you."-Patrick said with a mischievous expression on his face. "Trust me here, Hades." Tate cringed at the use of his ancient name. "This will have your lady caving to her innermost desires."

"You know…Dionysus," Patrick cringed in turn, "I don't care to have either of us take something that's going to benefit you. I know _all_ about your wine. I don't need it."

Patrick laughed. "Sure. You called me here just for decorating tips."

Tate gave Patrick a look. "Yes, I did."

The bigger man huffed. "Fine. But I'm leaving the bottles here. What you do with them is not my concern."

"I won't be using them, I can assure you."

"You can lie all you want, Tate. I know that darling flower of yours will have at least a drop of it by the end of the night."

"Out, Patrick."-Tate said, eyes closed and his thumb and forefinger pinching the bridge of his nose.

"I'm going. 'Seek happy nights to happy days' asshole."

Patrick flipped Tate off as he walked out the back door. Tate sighed in annoyance. Patrick, the little shit, had been a pain in Tate's ass since Zeus brought the blonde, hulking, half drunken god into this world. Patrick was definitely _not_ one of the nieces and nephews that Tate tolerated.

Tate sighed in relief as he was left alone. Now that everything was set and that Patrick had left, all he had to do was meet Violet. As he was about to leave, his cellphone rang and the number that popped up was all too familiar. The goddess had had the vain digits that spelled her name assigned to her when they were first made available. He answered to hear the sultry voice of Aphrodite:

"Luke's told me everything, you know."

"I doubt it."

"Well, when he tells me that he has something scheduled at _your_ house tonight, I figure it's serious."

"Your son should really not mix business with family."

"This _was _business. I'm the one pumping out the desire, as you well know."

Nothing that had happened within the last few days would have been possible without her and Tate knew it. However, that didn't mean he was about to kiss ass. "Yes, I'm aware. You and Patrick are doing a lot for me."

"And Cupid will be too."- She added in an excited squeak.

Tate was silent for a moment. Those arrows meant that his plan would work. That he would get Violet to fall for him. He wanted to make sure that it was true. "Are you sure?"

"Positive. Have I ever lied to you?"

"No. That's why you're of the ones I tolerate."

"_That's _why? And here I thought it was my body."-The goddess said sarcastically and followed it with a dry laugh.

He chuckled: "You're gorgeous, but I've never desired you."

"And it's one of the reasons I'm doing all of this for you without a care in the world! I've gotten so tired of being ogled."- The goddess said this over-dramatically. As if, by doing so, she could convince someone that she _didn't _enjoy being adored.

"No you haven't. I've got to go."

"Wait! Tate?"

He sighed. He had no idea why his niece was bothering him so much. "Yes?"

"Everything will go right tonight, but nothing will be in place."

"Stop talking to the Fates, Moira."

"Go get her, tiger."-Tate could practically hear the wink in her eye. With that he hung up.

* * *

He waited for a second. He didn't want more interruptions. He just wanted to get to Violet. When he sensed that he was completely alone, he walked over to Violet's house to find her reading. He knew what she was doing and decided to play along.

"Hey Vi. Sorry to interrupt."

She looked up from her book and he felt his heartstrings tug a bit more at the sight of her eyes. "It's fine. You're not bothering me. So, what's up?"

"I was going to ask you if you wanted to hang out."

"And now you're not?"

"You seem so enthralled by your book, that I don't think it nice to separate you."

"Shut up, you asshole."-She said with a smirk. "What do you want to do?"

"I just want to watch a movie with you."

"Depends on the movie."

"I have a few things I thought you might like."

"Oh? And just what do you think I'll like?"-She asked defiantly, as always.

"I took out Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Ed Wood, Dracula-the one with Bela Lugosi, of course-, Frankenstein, _Young _Frankenstein…"

"You like Young Frankenstein?"

"Yes. I prefer it over other Frankenstein movies, actually."

"I think I just heard Mary Shelley trying to scratch her way out of her grave."-Violet said playfully.

He laughed at her remark. He'd met Mary and he thought that she'd likely enjoy Mel Brook's comedic adaptation more than the others as well. He couldn't tell Violet, though. He'd sound mental if he did.

"So, what do you say? Movie night with me?"

"I hope you have Beetlejuice if you have so many Burton movies."

"I have it, rest assured. Come on."-He held out his hand for her.

She looked at it for a second; taking in the little details of his hand. She gazed at the long fingers, the pale flesh, the general splendor of its largeness and the bulging veins that gave it an unequivocal sense of power. All the while she gazed, she pondered if she should really go with him. She wanted to, there was no doubt about that, but was it right to do so? Violet shook her head and gave up after a little while. She closed the book, left it on her porch and took Tate's hand. He pulled her up and towards his body, where their chests met momentarily and made their throats ejaculate simultaneous, soft and harmonious moans of joy. The ripple that passed amongst their bodies the two did not go unnoticed by either party, but it was ignored for the time being.

* * *

The two of them walked towards his backyard. When they arrived, Violet noticed all the detail. There was a cloth screen tied steady to firmly hold up while they watched the film of their choosing, projected from a silver machine hidden behind the perfect siting area. Two large and cushiony patio loungers had been joined together to create the appearance of a bed. On top of it, cushions were thrown with care to not only decorate but to serve as proper tools for comfort, and for sleeping if it came, during their night together. Tate led her to their seat and she felt herself suddenly very light and weightless. There was a warm atmosphere in the backyard and a good wind dragged with it the smell of the spices of freshly baked treats: Violet swore she could taste them on her tongue. Vanilla bean was laced with nutmeg and cinnamon. It was a divine, comforting scent that seemed like out of a dream and wrapped itself around her. She felt so at ease that, when Tate dropped her hand and wrapped his arms around her, she didn't speak a single word of complaint. On the contrary, the air and the atmosphere caused her to happily slump against Tate's frame.

"Whoa Vi. Are you ok?"

"Hmm?"-She said as she felt what she could of his body through her back and the shield of their clothing.

"Vi! Snap out of it!"-Tate said loudly. He was worried about her.

He had a feeling that Moira had put way too many of her pheromones into the backyard. He had told the girl to put a little in, but not enough to cause Vi to have this kind of delightful stupor. She donned a carefree smile and now turned around and started getting frisky on him. She ran her hands across his shoulders and down his chest, smile fixed on her face and eyes wide in astonishment. Tate knew it now; there were way too many pheromones in the air.

"Tate, you feel good over all these clothes."-Her hands still ran up and down his body. He grabbed her dainty digits and held them tight.

"Violet, listen to me. You're not yourself right now."

"Mmmm, your hands feel good too. Could you rub my cheek?"

She leaned down a bit so that she could press her cheek against his knuckles. She let out a small moan as she rubbed her cheek on them and then caressed the knuckles with her lips. She had no idea why, but suddenly he was a thousand times more enticing than he usually was.

Tate dropped her hands and moved his away.

"Violet, this isn't you. Come with me, I think I need to splash some water on my face."

She laughed. "You want to get me wet there_ too?_"

He took a deep breath so as to control himself. He wanted Violet…not the drug riddled horny fiend that was temporarily using her body as host for its nefariously lustful purposes.

He put his hands on her shoulders and looked her square in the eyes.

"Violet, listen to me. I like you a lot, but you're under the effect of drugs and I just want you to come down from your high."

"But whyyyy? Don't you want me?"-She said gifting him kisses on his neck. "I'm aching for you, Tate."

He gently pushed her away from him.

"Violet, you have no idea. I want to be with you so badly. But I'm not going to do it while you're not you."

"This _is _me. I don't see what your problem is, anyway. If you don't want me, just be honest and tell me to my face."-She said, now with slight anger in her voice.

"I told you already, it's not that I don't want you!"

"Yeah, right. If you do want me, then prove it."

"Have it your way, you stubborn little girl."-He said angrily.

He grabbed her violently and crashed their mouths together. If she wanted him to prove that he wanted her, then he was going to do so. He knew that he shouldn't be angry at Violet, but he couldn't help it. He had a short fuse and a high Violet ruining his plans lit said fuse rapidly. This kiss was nothing like the chaste one of the previous day, this one was rough and desirous. He used his sharp canines to scrape the soft pink flesh of her lips and used his tongue to dominate hers. Violet moaned into the kiss.

Tate directed her to the bed made of loungers and pushed her on it. She fell fast and hard with a huff. Tate wasted no time and climbed on top of her. Their mouths found each other again. He spread her legs with one of his hands and positioned himself perfectly so that he could rub up against her.

Violet broke the kiss with a loud gasp that followed the sensational friction. He cracked a devilish smile and rolled off of her. Violet snapped her head at him and punched his arm. He emitted a fake wince. If there was one thing that could always break through the pheromones that Aphrodite produced, it was Ares' anger.

"You're such an asshole!"

"Am I?"

"You have a girl at your sexual disposal and you push her away."

"Do me a favor, Vi. Think back to a few minutes ago."

"Why?"

"Just do it."

Violet was pensive for a moment and then realized how out of character she had been behaving.

"Wow. What the hell did you give me?"

"Nothing."

She looked at him firmly for a moment. "Fine. So are we watching a movie now or what?"

"So bossy. Fine, pick something while I get us some popcorn."

* * *

Tate got up and went inside. Violet haphazardly chose a film from the stack placed on a table next to the loungers and then sat back. She couldn't believe that she had acted like that…horny teenager she might be, but she had control over her urges. She could even, normally, control the desire to have Tate fuck her six ways to Sunday. As she looked at the backyard she noticed a peculiar plant out of the corner of her eye. The only thing that separated this plant from any other surrounding her was the fact that dangling from its branches were small, black berries. She had never seen these berries before and her curiosity got the better of her. She walked over to the plant and plucked a berry out.

She looked at the little thing and was about to eat it, when…

"I've got the-Violet, don't eat that!"

She looked at Tate and saw the worried look on his face. She dropped the berry and walked towards him.

"Why? Have the berries gone bad or something?"

"No. They're poison."

"What are you talking about?"

"Those are deadly nightshade berries. Belladonna. It's one of the most poisonous plants know to man."

"Then why the fuck do you have it?"

"Came with the house. Besides, I put it to good use. I give the berries to a lab downtown that processes them to make medicine."

Violet gave him a look that said she doubted what he said, but merely continued: "Just how deadly is it?"

"One leaf would kill you if you ate it."

"Who would ever eat a leaf?"

"Oh, you wouldn't believe me if I told you. So, did you pick something out?"

"Yeah. It's on the lounge thing."

They cuddled up and started watching what she had picked out. Much to Violet's chagrin, she had picked _Young Frankenstein. _They enjoyed the film and little by little, they had found themselves cuddled tightly. Violet's side pressed against Tate's, her head gently resting on his shoulder, his arms wrapped around her. They were in a warm cocoon of comfort. When the movie ended, they noticed their positioning. Violet widened her eyes but just settled comfortably. Tate smiled.

Suddenly, something struck Violet. She felt a tug in her heart, something that was leaving her breathless and unable to focus. Tate noticed her discomfort and started rubbing her back.

"Try taking deep breaths, Vi."

"I-I-ca-nt."

He kissed her nape. "You can. Try. Breathe in…"

And she inhaled shakily.

"And out."

She exhaled.

Violet looked at him and smiled. He was being so sweet to her. He had been nice to her since they had first met…he was a bit of a tease, but nice. And, if previous kissing was anything to go by, he was a caged monster. Violet loved monsters and she wanted to unlock _this_ one. She liked him infinitely more _now_ than she had before. Once her breathing had steadied, she bit her lip and spoke.

"Why are you hiding it?"

"Hiding what?"

"The darkness inside you. You're hiding it from me."

He said nothing for a while, but got closer to her until their noses were an inch away from touching.

"You love playing with fire, don't you, Vi?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "I guess I'm just attracted to the darkness."

"Of course you do. My fierce girl."

"_Your _fierce girl?"

He gave her an unexpected, bruising kiss. Another that was violent, but this time it wasn't angry. This time, the violent kiss was just passionate. If she wanted his darkness, she would have it. He would give her anything she desire. When he broke the kiss, as she took a deep breath, his voice growled:

"Mine."

"We'll see."-She teased.

"Stay with me."

"What?"-She looked stunned.

"Stay with me here. Just for tonight."

Violet considered his proposal for a minute. Her mother wouldn't arrive until late tonight and she'd leave early in the morning. Basically, she could stay over without her mother's knowledge and get away with it.

"Ok. But I have to get a few things beforehand."

"Like what?"

"Sleepwear for one."

"You can wear one of my shirts."

"Toiletries."

"I have spares of everything."

"Fine. The other thing I'd need is my iPod and I have that on me already."

"Excellent. Sleepover."

She stuck her tongue out at him. "Just don't expect me to have sex with you."

"I'd never."-He said in feigned shock.

* * *

They played another movie and this time, Violet fell asleep during it. Tate stopped the movie when he noticed and gathered her into his arms to carry her inside. Once they were in the foyer, Tate finally did what he had been longing to do since he had seen Violet. He sealed off the house and separated his realm from the human one. The location of the house was still in the human plane, but its innards would be untouchable even from Zeus himself.

All it would take were some words and gestures to make Violet his. And he knew where to start. When he reached his room, he laid Violet gently on his bed and took off her clothes. Once she was left in her underwear, he dressed her in one of his t-shirts. The hem of his shirt reached her mid-thigh and he smiled when he saw how beautiful she looked. He tucked her under the sheets, changed and got into bed with her. He wrapped his arms around her back and buried his face into her sweet smelling neck. Tate hoped that when Violet woke up in the morning, it would be with a smile on her face.

* * *

_Tate had Persephone pinned down to a chaise lounge. They kissed as he ran his hands up and down her thighs in a slow, tingling fashion. She moaned into the kiss._

_"Remind me again, why am I still dressed?"-She asked after swallowing a giggle when he tickled her neck with his nose._

_"I want you to be."_

_She smiled at him and was about to protest again when he started stroking her. She opened her legs a bit wider and he took advantage. He pushed the fabric of her dress up until it reached the middle of her ribcage. He kissed her stomach, the curves on her sides, her hips and then moved up her body to kiss her lips._

_"Why did you marry me?"_

_She pushed a strand of his hair back. "Why else? I love you, you demented god."_

_"Oh, so now I am demented?"-He said with a wry smile._

_"You are when you doubt me."-She sat up._

_"I do not doubt you, Seph. I doubt myself. Whether I have forced you into this or not."_

_"You have not. I am here of my own…" She pressed a kiss to his neck. "Free…" One to his Adam's apple. "Will." A finally kiss on his jaw followed by one placed on his lips. Another giggle followed._

_Tate loved how bubbly she was. She definitely brought forth some fresh air to his gloomy palace. At her words, he pinned her down again and attacked. In an instant, he was inside her. She mewled at the sensation, craving his rough, animalistic thrusts even more than she had the previous two occasions during which they'd made love._

_"More."-She breathed as she started to move in time with him._

_He was wicked. He became that animal of a god, bordering on enraged, pummeling her mercilessly. It took no more than minutes for her back to arch, her legs to tighten around his body and her vocal chords to produce a piercing scream. A loud roar erupted from his throat a short while later._

_He gently dropped on top of her. He moved his head to lay it on her breast. She emitted one of her trademark giggles at this and then stroked his hair gently until they both fell asleep. Tate had, before this moment, never known what true calm was._


End file.
